Part   Thirty One   "Dead Reckoning"

 

Tammy's Tales Book 6
 

 
Friday 30th October (continued)
 

It appeared that there had been a mis-communication as everyone was now being told they could go into the chapel. Tammy and Louise had hung back, the door into the chapel could have been used as an escape route. They quickly slid onto one of the pews, a few rows from the front, Louise took up a defensive position, leaving Tammy exposed on the end of pew, although the nearby exit doors were firmly closed.

"So what do you think happened?"

"I don't know, probably just a mistake." Tammy wasn't happy with Louise's answer but they both had exactly the same knowledge of the situation, nothing.

The rest of the mourners were now taking their seats in the chapel. In the waiting area Tammy had noticed a girl who was wearing almost exactly the same clothes as herself, the only major difference was her dark glasses that remained firmly on the other girl's nose. That girl was now sat a few rows ahead. Anne McIntosh slid alongside Louise, who swapped places with Tammy.

"Not very well organised, Tammy?"

"No, Anne." Tammy didn't want to dwell on the subject.

"Well, why would the police want to search here anyway, who would bomb a crematorium?"

"Who, indeed?"

The minister now came into the chapel, Cathy had gone against David's family's wishes for a full Church of Scotland service and had asked for a humanist service instead. That had caused some consternation but Cathy, backed by Elsie of course, had suggested they held a memorial service under whatever denomination they desired, but just don't expect the widow to attend.

The simple service was over in ten minutes and the chapel rose soon after the curtains closed, with 'Flower Of Scotland' playing through the speakers. The undertakers opened the exit doors onto a terrace and the pews started to filter outside. Louise held Tammy back.

"Too exposed there, let's circle around."

They went back into the waiting area, surprising one of the undertakers, Louise quickly checked the area outside the door for any dangers, spying two uniformed police officers in the carpark. The pair went outside and circled around the building back towards the terrace when a shot rang out, followed by screams. Louise pushed Tammy onto the ground.

"Oi!"

"Quiet, and stay down."

The uniformed and unarmed police officers had sprinted across the carpark and now disappeared from sight, whilst the mourners were panicking, most running to their cars or the coach, although Tammy couldn't see Cathy, Elsie or any of the others. No-one seemingly spotted Tammy.

A succession of shots rang out, accompanied by more screams. A loud voice was heard, "where is she?" Tammy thought she'd heard the voice before, a female voice repeated the question, adding "I have hostages, if I don't get Tammy Smart, they'll die." The voice seemed to come from within the chapel, just behind them.

Louise again told Tammy to stay down.

"I can't, my friends are there."

"You'll do exactly as I tell you."

The male's voice was getting closer, Tammy guessed he was coming through the waiting area, towards their position. Louise hesitated then beckoned Tammy to get on her feet but to stay low. She pointed for them to continue around the building, away from the entrance, given a lack of alternative routes.

They reached the two officers, both had been shot and one was clearly deceased, the other was losing blood from a chest wound.

"Spray." He whispered. Tammy unclipped the CS spray from the officer's utility belt, against Louise's wishes. They could now hear sirens approaching.

Tammy crept further around the building, reaching the terrace. The choices were to go onto the terrace, around it or double back; although none of the options was desirable. They could now hear noise of someone walking on gravel, approaching their position. Tammy pushed her way behind a bush, knowing that it wasn't ideal. Louise took up position close by, ready to defend her charge.

The male now came into view and immediately spotted Tammy, although she didn't have a clear view of him. He raised his weapon as Louise came at him, he deflected her blow and targeted her. Tammy burst from her space and sprayed the male, who she now identified as John Gore. Unfortunately she also caught Louise, incapacitating her.

John Gore fought the pain and levelled his weapon, although he could barely see her. She sprayed again, trying to keep her distance. He fired but missed her before dropping the weapon. Tammy grabbed his weapon and made her way inside the building, entering through the main door. She hid behind the door into the chapel.

Anita Gore was by the pulpit with a group of mourners on the front pew.

"Right, you, call her mobile again." Tammy couldn't see who was being spoken to but she was fairly certain that Elsie, Cathy and Helen were there. Fortunately, her phone was on the coach.

Suddenly there was movement behind her, two black-clad officers armed with Heckler & Koch MP5. Tammy recognised the weapon having used one in Kent. They were unimpressed when they saw what Tammy was holding.

"Drop that!"

Unfortunately that grabbed Anita Gore's attention and a shot reached one of the officers, catching his arm. Anita moved quickly and was suddenly in the doorway but Tammy hadn't moved. Anita had her target and went to fire but Tammy was faster, shooting Anita at point blank range. The woman went down immediately. Only now was she relieved of the weapon and pulled out of the area. A paramedic was allowed in to attend to the injured officer.

"Tammy, you okay?"

DS Franklin was just outside, wearing a stab-proof vest over his suit.

"I killed her."

"You did what?"

"I shot her."

One of the armed officers escorted the hostages from the chapel.

"Oh, Tammy, you're okay? There was a girl shot who looked like you, that bloody cow shot her before she realised it wasn't you."

"I'm fine Cathy, it's terrible but I'm not certain what's happening now."

That was answered by an officer approaching her, "Miss Smart, you are under arrest for murder. You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you rely on in court. Anything you do say can be given in evidence."

Tammy shrugged, "it was self defence, her or me. I chose me."

He pulled handcuffs off his belt and went to secure her. Ben Franklin, spoke to him first.

"I think you need to know she has a Met Police firearms certificate, I've seen it."

"How?"

"Need to know, I'm afraid."

Regardless of this information Tammy was handcuffed and put into a police van that had now arrived. John Gore was being treated by a paramedic, an ambulance had left, presumably to take the injured officers to hospital. More officers had arrived.

---

"Now, now, Miss Smart, what do we have here?"

"Self defence, and I was the target."

She was sat, nearly two hours later, in an interview room at Inverness Police Station, had been searched, photographed, fingerprinted and had given a saliva sample for a DNA test.

"Even so?"

"Look, I have some documents at home, they would be very useful right now."

"What are they?"

"My firearms licence and a get-out-of-jail-free letter signed by the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee. It authorises me to take reasonable steps to protect myself. I think this counts as reasonable?"

"Home Affairs Committee? This is Scotland, not England. Anyway, her husband might not agree with you, nor their daughter?"

"They were international assassins, guns for hire. Someone must have taken a hit out on me."

"That's speculation."

"No, and it's happened before. Anyway, you know that I'm at risk because of the trials."

"It's not something that happens in the Highlands."

"It does to me."

Ten minutes later she was interviewed, giving her view of the morning's events. Naturally she strayed into some of the back story but stopped short when asked about her background.

"I'm sorry but you're not cleared for that. I can't answer your question."

"I suggest, Miss Smart, that you answer the question."

"My client has made it clear that she can't, it could be a breach of the official secrets act."

"You claimed to have a firearms certificate but you're not on our local database."

"It was issued by the Met's counter terrorism unit, I'm fully licensed and trained."

"Where is it?"

"In a safe in Thurso, there's a duplicate in my home safe, alongside my weapon."

The interviewing officer tried to get more out of Tammy but changed tact when she was getting nowhere.

"Now, did you know the Gores?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Their daughter goes to my old school and I had dinner with them a month or so ago."

"Several witnesses have told us that they were looking for you? Why would they do that?"

"I'm a witness in four high profile trials. This wasn't the first attempt on my life by them. I was also threatened on the phone yesterday."

There was a knock on the door, the officer stopped the recording and answered it, he stood outside for a minute, Tammy could see him shaking his head through the glass.

"I don't know who your friends are but I've been told to de-arrest you."

"Good."

"Miss Smart, you took someone's life today and you have made no effort to deny this, but you don't seem to be concerned. I find that amazing."

"I've been trained, I recently hesitated when I should have taken a shot so I was sent on an Special Forces training course. I learned a lesson on that course that you can't hesitate, it was very simple, her or me."

"You cannot make that choice. You don't have the right"

"Your officers were under attack and my bodyguard was injured, what alternatives were there? I'm sorry that a girl has lost her mother but she was a murderer who has killed many times before."

"You know this because?"

"I work in intelligence."

"You're a student?"

"Yes, anyway you said I could go?"

She passed John Gore in the corridor, he glared at Tammy.

"You bitch, you'll die for this."

She shrugged and turned to the officer, "you see?"

Fifteen minutes later she walked out of the main entrance, her father was waiting alongside Hilary.

"Thank you Jeremiah, until the next time?"

"Indeed, Miss Smart, indeed."

"Did they treat you okay?"

"Yes, how did you arrange my release?"

They started walking, there was a café a hundred metres away. Tammy needed a wee.

"The Met's Assistant Commissioner with responsibility for terrorism phoned the Chief Constable of Scotland and I brought your documents over. You owe a few thanks, but don't get the impression this is over?"

"No?"

"No, Tammy, no. There will be a fatal accident inquiry and you could still be indicted. John Gore could even attempt a private prosecution although he's likely to be busy handling his own affairs. His home has been searched, they found a safe set into the floor of the downstairs loo! The place was bugged, and it seems the officers conducting the search tripped an alarm. The Lavoska sisters have gone to ground."

"And yet you wanted me to go to Lausanne?"

"It's unlikely you'd have actually gone."

"What about the explosion in the office?"

"The gas line had been severed by a small explosive. The boiler was serviced a week ago and we're looking at video of the engineer to try to identify him. He was, of course, fully supervised while he was there. We've suppressed this information, of course."

"Even so?"

"Yes, my security failed. Jenny isn't happy at all."

They reached the café but spotted a couple of journalists inside so kept walking.

"The Police said you'd be ages so they came down here."

"Where's the car?"

"We flew."

The chopper was another ten minutes distant, sat in the spacious carpark of an abandoned store. A few locals were intrigued, even more so when the trio arrived, boarded and the rotor started to spin. Thankfully the onlookers moved back.

When the helicopter turned to head South, instead of West to Thurso, Tammy felt she wasn't being told everything.

"We're dropping you in Aberdeen, Helen and Louise will join you in a few hours and you're booked into a hotel."

"Oh?"

"It's best that you disappear for a while." Hilary pulled out a shoulder bag. "For the next few weeks you'll be Beccy Adams. All your documents are in there, plus your Glock and two magazines. Try not to kill anyone. We'll deal with the aftermath easier with you out of the way."

"Okay, where am I going?" Tammy badly regretted not using the loo in the police station.

"Fancy doing an art course?"